Zeekr’s new 8X has got off to a brisk start in China, with company executives saying the large hybrid SUV took 10,000 orders in less than 30 minutes after its April 17 launch in Ningbo.
That figure came from a post-launch media briefing reported by Yiche, which also suggested buyers were piling into the more expensive versions rather than the cheaper end of the range.
The 8X line-up starts at 356,800 yuan (RM207,000) and rises to 426,800 yuan (RM248,000), while limited-time launch prices begin from 329,800 yuan (RM192,000) after incentives.
Zeekr also launched the higher-performance 8X Yaoying at 500,800 yuan (RM291,000), or 473,800 yuan (RM275,000) with limited-time benefits.
According to Yiche, the Yaoying alone made up about 30% of early orders, while Ultra trims and above accounted for 95.6% of the order mix.
Executives added that the average transaction price was above 400,000 yuan (RM232,000), pointing to demand for the premium versions.
Geely Automobile Group CEO Gan Jiayue said the 8X is meant to tempt buyers away from traditional luxury marques by combining extreme performance, stronger vehicle control and more advanced in-car intelligence in one package.
He said the SUV uses the Haohan-S hybrid architecture and a tri-motor set-up with total output of up to 1,030kW, or about 1,400hp.
Zeekr also claims the 8X debuts China’s first cockpit-driving integrated “super intelligent agent”, meant to tie cabin interaction and assisted-driving functions together more tightly.
Yiche’s report also made clear that Zeekr is trying to avoid the familiar launch-now, cut-price-later pattern that has become common in China’s new-energy market.
Senior vice-president Lin Jie said the company wanted to price the 8X correctly from the outset to reduce the need for short-term adjustments, arguing that frequent price cuts damage both brand value and customer confidence.
Executives also said shared architecture and common parts with the larger 9X should help Zeekr ramp up 8X production relatively quickly.
Separately, CarNewsChina said executives described both the 8X and 9X as heading for overseas markets, with exports potentially starting as early as the third quarter.
If this early order mix holds, the 8X may be showing that there is still room in China’s crowded upper-end new-energy market for a local brand to hold pricing power.
